> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.valar.space/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Orbit Raise > Raise a spacecraft to a higher circular orbit and compare a min-fuel and a fastest option > For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](/llms.txt). Orbit Raise plans a low-thrust transfer that raises a spacecraft from its current orbit to a higher **circular** target altitude. The platform always computes **two options** for the same target — a **Min-fuel** option and a **Fastest** option — so you can weigh propellant against time before committing. You review both side by side and **approve** the one you want; the approved option becomes a normal maneuver plan in the existing approval and execution lifecycle. This page documents the Orbit-Raise-specific configuration and the two-option comparison. For the shared wizard steps (Overview, Initial State, Time Range, Review) and general Planner functionality, see the [Planner overview](/features/planner). **Route:** `/maneuvers/planner` ## Creating a raise In the Planner, click **New Plan**, and on the **Overview** step choose **Orbit Raise** as the **Maneuver Type**. The wizard's five steps are the same as every other plan (**Overview**, **Initial State**, **Time Range**, **Parameters**, **Review**); only the **Parameters** step is Orbit-Raise-specific, and there is no option picker — both options are always computed. * On **Initial State**, the raise starts from the spacecraft's latest computed state vector, or you can select a different [state vector](/features/state-vectors) or initialize from the latest **public TLE** — exactly as for other plans. * On **Time Range**, set the window (in UTC) within which the raise may run. ### Step 4: Orbit Raise Parameters Configure the circular target the raise should reach and the propellant it is allowed to spend. | Field | Description | Unit | Constraints | | - | - | - | - | | **Target altitude** | The circular altitude the raise should reach | km | Must be > 0 | | **Position tolerance** | How close to the target altitude the final orbit must settle | km | Must be > 0. Default: 2 km | | **Propellant available** | The spacecraft's available propellant (read-only) | kg | Read-out only — from the spacecraft's configuration | | **Max fuel to be used** | The most propellant this raise is allowed to spend | kg | Must be > 0 and **≤ Propellant available**. Defaults to the full available propellant | The **Max fuel to be used** value is a cap on the whole raise. It defaults to the full available propellant and cannot exceed it — if you lower it, both options are still computed, but a computed option is only **approvable** when it fits within the cap (see [Approving a raise](#approving-a-raise)). When you reach **Review** and click **Create Plan**, the raise launches and appears as a single plan in **Evaluation** while its two options are computed. ## Optional mean LTAN targeting When local-time targeting is enabled for your account, select **Target mean LTAN** inside **Orbit Raise**. It is currently an internal rollout for the existing chemical/electric near-circular LEO capability. Ordinary exact-target raises remain available when this option is off. Enter exactly three problem inputs: | Field | Meaning | | - | - | | **Target LTAN (HH:MM:SS)** | Mean ascending-node local solar time. Seconds and fractional seconds are retained; `10:30` is also accepted. | | **Minimum allowable mean SMA (km)** | Lower geocentric mean semi-major-axis limit throughout thrust and acquisition coast. | | **Maximum allowable mean SMA (km)** | Upper limit for the same complete phase. The maximum must exceed the minimum. | The acquisition tolerance is fixed, read-only **±1 second at full phase completion**. There is no second exact-altitude target, editable tolerance, drift limit or transfer-wide clock band in this compact form. SMA is measured from Earth's centre, not altitude above the surface. Both bounds must be finite and within the supported 6,498.137–8,378.137 km LEO range. Include the inherited initial mean SMA in the range: the planner will not widen it to admit an initially outside state. The planner selects an economical reachable arrival orbit within the bounds and accounts for accumulated LTAN change during both thrust and coast. It may stop thrusting before LTAN reaches the target and let a real final coast complete acquisition within the planning window. The ±1-second condition applies at the end of that coast, not throughout the transfer or at the last burn. Nonzero residual drift is allowed; this is acquisition, not ongoing maintenance. Configure the selected spacecraft's maneuver capabilities and complete physical inputs before computing. The review lists **Last burn ends**, **Full phase completion**, arrival local time/SMA, residual drift, interval margins and the numerical allowance. Min-fuel and Fastest compare only candidates meeting the same authored requirements. A bounded search that finds no qualified campaign is reported as unresolved, rather than proof that the mission is impossible. Unsupported hardware or missing evidence must be resolved before approval; requirements are never relaxed to make a cheaper plan pass. The same requirement fields are available in enabled Operations and Mission Analysis Orbit raise phases. A following phase inherits the achieved physical orbit, epoch and remaining mass at full phase completion. Review, saved phases and **Modify** retain the target, tolerance and SMA range. Historical extended requests use a labelled historical editor that preserves their separate LTAN/LTDN clocks, applicability, orbit limits and resource requirements. They are not silently converted to compact inputs or relabelled as new results. ## Comparing the two options Once both options are ready, the plan detail shows them side by side as an equal-weight **Min-fuel** / **Fastest** selector. Each option lists the same figures so you can compare them directly: | Figure | Description | | - | - | | **ΔMass** | Propellant this option would spend (kg) | | **Duration** | How long this option's raise takes | | **Propellant left** | Propellant remaining after the raise (available − ΔMass) | Select the option you prefer — the selected option is emphasized — and a single primary **Approve {option}** action (for example, **Approve Min-fuel**) commits it. While the two options are still computing, each shows its own progress (**Queued**, then **Computing**), and each settles to **Ready** or **Failed** independently — if one option fails, the other stays usable. Full velocity-change (Delta-V) figures appear on the approved plan's [Plan details](/features/planner#plan-details) once you approve an option. ### When the two options coincide For some raises the min-fuel and fastest solutions are the same. In that case the detail shows a single plan with a plain note that **Min-fuel** and **Fastest** coincide for this raise, and you approve that one plan — there is no separate comparison to make. ## Approving a raise Approving an option turns it into a definitive maneuver plan and moves it into the existing lifecycle as **Approved**, exactly like any other plan. From there the standard **Approve / Reject / Delete / Export** actions and [Plan details](/features/planner#plan-details) apply, and the option you did not approve is discarded. Approval runs a final propellant check. If the option you approve would spend more than the cap, or the propellant use cannot be validated, the raise is **not** saved and an inline message explains why: | Message | Meaning | | - | - | | **Exceeds the max fuel to be used — this raise would spend more propellant than the cap** | The option's propellant use is above the **Max fuel to be used** cap. Raise the cap (up to the available propellant) or choose a cheaper option, then approve again. | | **Couldn't validate the fuel use — please retry** | The propellant check could not complete. Approve again to retry. | ## When a raise can't reach the target If neither option can reach the target — for example, the window is too short or there is not enough propellant — the detail does not show a plan with a disabled Approve. Instead it shows a plain message that the target **Can't reach this target**, naming the limit that blocks it (propellant or time) and telling you to **modify the target, window, or max fuel and try again**. The panel offers two actions: * **Modify** — reopens the New-plan dialog so you can adjust the target, window, or **Max fuel to be used**. * **Discard** — dismisses the raise. ## Eligibility Some spacecraft cannot be raised — for example, one with no propulsion configured, or more than one thruster. When you configure a raise for such a spacecraft, the dialog shows an inline message that **This spacecraft can't be raised yet**, lists the specific reason(s), and blocks **Create Plan** until they are resolved. ## Related Pages * [Planner](/features/planner) — Planner overview, shared wizard steps, and plan details * [State Vectors](/features/state-vectors) — The initial state a raise starts from * [Burn Plan](/features/burn-plan) — View and manage individual spacecraft maneuvers * [Core Concepts](/platform-overview/core-concepts) — Foundational orbital mechanics concepts This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.